Patching

It was six years ago, that I pieced my first quilt (pictured above). It was for my niece’s new little baby daughter, Morgan. I remember giving her specific instructions: “Please use this quilt – don’t put it away in a closet – I made it for her to use. And when it falls apart, ship it back to me, and I’ll fix it.”

Now, these six years later, my niece, Marcie, came for a visit. She brought the quilt, because "the dog snagged it, and it needs a couple of patches."

I could hardly believe how shabby and worn the quilt had become.

The once-vibrant colours had faded. The once-plush blanket had settled into a paper-thin rag. The back was filled with holes of all sizes, and the binding should have been redone. But there would be little sense in doing the back and the binding, because the front was in almost the same condition.

It was so bad, that I told Marcie to put it in the burning barrel, and I’d make another one. But, you know how some kids are about their blankets -- Morgan wouldn’t part with it.

I found some leftover fabric in my stash, and I began to patch.

I patched. And I patched. And I patched.

It doesn’t look very pretty, but I did the best I could.

Morgan's quilt has been returned to her, and she probably cares far more about having it back than how it looks. I guess it's a good thing that it didn't go to the burning barrel (at least for now).

This patching process made me think about how everything wears out. When I looked for a picture of that quilt when it was new, I found about 35 years of pictures showing all kinds of ‘stuff’ we gathered along the way -- stuff that has long since found its way to the Thrift Shop or the burning barrel. All of our possessions get old and wear out. And we are left with only pictures and memories.

Did you know that Revelation 18 tells us that all things will burn at the end of time?

Father, thank you for supplying my needs while I am here. Thank you for the reminder that I need to hold loosely the 'things' and 'stuff' in my life, and tightly to what really matters.

Keen Minds

For the past week, I’ve had my neighbours’ kids staying with me here at the end of the road, while their parents flew south for a well-deserved vacation. I can’t speak for the kids, but I’ve had a blast. Nothing like young minds and bodies to keep you going!

We went sledding, and I pulled them on a toboggan behind the quad leaving a trail that would put to shame any ‘drunkard’s path’ quilt! Daily, we fed our horses and travelled to their farm to feed 4-H calves and other assorted creatures, including a huge white feline they call ‘Jolly Old Cat.’

One night after completing both sets of chores, I thought they might need a break from my cooking so I offered to go for pizza. The only problem was that I was in my barnyard clothes and didn’t want to run into anyone I knew. They offered all kinds of advice including:

“Just tell them you are starting a new style,” and

“Yeah, ‘barnyard’ is the new black!”

We really enjoyed that pizza!

I took them to and from school, asked what they learned, and teased them that the teachers must be overpaid because they always claimed not to have learned anything. At mealtime, we discussed the day's events, history, and politics. After the inauguration, we talked about President Obama’s future popularity rating. I expect we'll re-visit that conversation several times over the next few years.

But my favourite part of each day was the bedtime reading. We started with The Highwayman and moved on to a modern version of Horatius at the Bridge. We had a couple of nights with Robert Service (Dan McGrew and Sam McGee) and finished up with Casey at the Bat, and Tom Sawyer. Last night I was at a loss, until the ten year old found a large old text on the bookshelf called A Treasury of the Familiar. He checked the index at the back and asked for “President Roosevelt Asks Congress to Declare War on Japan.” That was a first for them, as well as a first for me!

I marvel at these kids and their keen, open minds. And I’m so glad to have had this time with them.

Psalm 3:23 says, “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.”

Lord, help me to embrace wisdom and to realize that true wisdom comes only from You.